Switch assemblies of the aforementioned type interrupt and complete electrical circuits by moving electrical switching contacts disposed in the housing of the switch assembly to contact fixed electrical switching contacts. It is thus possible for a user to apply an auxiliary force to an actuating element to switch on and off functions associated with different electrical circuits. Often such switch assemblies switch on and off the sliding and rising roof functions of a sliding-rising-roof of a motor vehicle. This type of switch assembly can be called lift-and-slide switch.
DE 39 31 722 C2 discloses a switch assembly having a housing which receives movable electrical switching contacts. The housing has a transverse axis and a longitudinal axis. An actuating element is mounted on the housing. Each of two axle journals associated with the actuating element engage a longitudinally elongated hole provided in opposite walls of the housing in parallel with the longitudinal axis. The two axle journals are rotatable and longitudinally displaceable within the elongated holes such that the actuating element is pivotable about the transverse axis and longitudinally movable along the longitudinal axis to move between switching positions.
The actuating element includes two guide cams each spaced apart from an axle journal in parallel with the longitudinal axis. The guide cams each engage a cross-shaped connecting member provided on the opposite walls of the housing to enable the actuating element to be pivotable and longitudinally movable. The actuating element can therefore be moved to switching positions by sliding and pivoting movements which correspond to the movements of a sliding-rising-roof of a motor vehicle.
The actuating element includes switching pieces which transmit the actuating element movements to the movable switching contacts to complete electrical circuits and enable switching functions associated with the switching positions. Furthermore, the switch assembly includes a plurality of compression spring-loaded control devices which ensure that the actuating element remains in a starting position and automatically returns from a switching position to the starting position. A problem associated with the switch assembly disclosed in DE 39 31 722 C2 is that the switch assembly includes a considerable number of individual parts which are complicated to assemble resulting in considerable assembly costs.
DE 34 15 997 C2 discloses a switch assembly wherein movements of the actuating element correspond to the movements of a sliding-rising-roof of a motor vehicle. The actuating element also includes two axle journals which are rotatable and longitudinally movable within elongated holes provided in opposite walls of the housing. The actuating element further includes two guide cams which pivotable and longitudinally displaceable engage a respective cross-shaped connecting member of the housing.
EP0778980 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,046,414 disclose other examples of this type of switch assembly.
All the existing solutions, with the functionality of crossing switch travel, have the drawback of snagging. The switch travel direction cannot be defined precisely such that the actuating element tends to hang loose generating bad feeling for the user. This problem is difficult to solve taking into account the dimensional tolerances of the different parts of the assembly.